1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to in situ poured wall systems and associated methods and, more particularly, to such a wall system that includes at least one masonry external surface, or a substantially aesthetically completed external surface, along with an associated method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Poured wall systems and associated methods are well known in the relevant art. Such poured wall systems typically involve the use of some type of mold into which a curable or settable material is poured and which, after curing or setting, forms a finished wall. Such wall systems have been used successfully to form subterranean and/or above-ground walls of structures such as houses and the like and for other purposes.
One type of known wall system employs reusable form panels that are manually assembled to form a mold into which a material such as uncured concrete is poured and permitted to cure. After curing, the reusable form panels are manually removed, thus leaving a finished wall of the exemplary material concrete.
In the simplest form of the aforementioned system, the resulting wall is a solid block of the construction material which, in the example provided, is concrete, and may additionally include reinforcement structures such as so-called rebar extending therethrough. It is known, however, that concrete has relatively poor thermal insulative properties. Additionally, the labor involved in initially assembling and ultimately removing the reusable form panels can be significant. Moreover, the external appearance of a poured wall can be less than fully aesthetically pleasing. In this regard, it is noted that applicable building codes may require the covering of exposed concrete walls.
In an effort to overcome the thermal shortcomings of concrete walls, it has been known to add a layer of insulating material, such as a sheet of expanded polystyrene, to the wall by disposing the layer of insulating material against one of the form panels prior to pouring the uncured concrete into the space between the layer of insulating material and the other form panel. Again, however, the exposed layer of insulating material has been known to be aesthetically unsatisfactory.
A need thus exists for an improved wall system and associated method that provides at least one aesthetically pleasing external surface, that incorporates an insulative material that enhances the insulative character of the resulting wall, and/or that is relatively easy to use according to the associated method. Such a wall system and method may allow for the incorporation of one or more appropriate reinforcement structures.
Such an improved wall system and/or associated method may involve the use of blocks or other structures into which a curable or settable material such as uncured concrete can be poured to form an in situ wall, wherein the blocks each include a substantially aesthetically completed exterior surface. The substantially aesthetically completed exterior surfaces of the blocks or other structures may together provide a substantially aesthetically completed exterior surface for the wall.
Another type of known wall system employs blocks formed of an insulative material such as expanded polystyrene formed with a cavity extending therethrough. A large number of such blocks are assembled together such that the individual cavities thereof together combine to form a single coextensive cavity extending throughout the array of assembled blocks. The blocks including the coextensive cavity together form a mold into which a curable or settable material such as uncured concrete can be poured to form an in situ wall of which the original blocks of insulative material are an integral part. The resulting in situ wall includes external surfaces formed by the insulative material, which often are less than fully aesthetically pleasing.
It is thus desired to provide an improved wall system and associated method that provides a wall formed in situ that includes a relatively aesthetically pleasing external surface. Such an aesthetically pleasing external surface may be a masonry external surface.